Christmas Gift Idea: Photography Class - NC Family Photographer

I'm setting up several photography class options for early 2012. This is the perfect companion gift (or treat yourself) for someone receiving a new camera for Christmas this year. OR have you had your camera a year, or a few, and still don't know how to use it the way you want? Sign up or give a photography class as a Christmas gift.

Beginning Photography Class: Saturday, January 7th, 9:30-12:00

The usual details: the class is $100 per person and must have a minimum of 3 participants.

Each person will receive a textbook to keep as a reference. The class will last 2.5 hours and will be limited to 3-5 people.

I will help you learn more about your camera and take better photos of your kids and friends. Here is some of what we will discuss:

 

- 10 tips for Taking Better Pictures

- Introduction to Exposure

- ISO

- Shutter Speed

- Aperture

- Using your Camera's Basic Settings

- Lens Overview

NEW! Advanced Photography Class: Saturday, January 14th, 9:30-1:00

the class is $175 per person and must have a minimum of 2 participants.

The class will last 3.5 hours, will be limited to 2-4 people, and includes lunch. The first part of the class will be devoted to hands on teaching and learning. You will observe me shooting, then you will practice your photography shooting a model. We will have some basic instruction on editing followed by a brief critique. The last part of the class will include lunch and a question and answer time. Some of what this class will cover:

 

- hands-on practice photographing in different lighting situations

- basic editing including: 

     cropping 

     straightening

     color correction

     adjusting lightness/darkness

     retouching minor flaws

Students should have previously taken the Beginning Photography Class or have a good understanding of exposure and their camera's basic settings (as outlined in the Beginning Photography Class).

One-on-One Photography Classes 

One-on-one classes are great for people that would like to learn more about their specific camera or photo editing software. This class can be geared for a beginning or advanced student. A three-hour one-on-one class at your home or mine is $295.

 

Email me to book your spot or ask questions. 

 

(all students' participation is at the discretion of Studio 310 Photography. ie: in fairness to my local photographer colleagues, I can not teach other professionals with a photo business in Johnston County, NC.)

 

Callie M's Maternity Portraits - NC Maternity Photography

I shot these maternity photos almost 2 years ago; but I enjoyed looking through them recently for Callie, so I thought I should share. I don't remember posting any from this session before on the blog. Of course, I have a baby on my mind all the time now, so it seems extra appropriate. 

Nia's Bridal Portraits - North Carolina Bridal Portrait Photography

This is my new sister-in-law, Nia. She and my brother got married Saturday!! (I look forward to sharing some wedding details soon.) I photographed her bridal portraits a couple weeks before the wedding on her family's farm near Lexington, NC. Here is the beautiful bride:

i heart ___.

1. my baby

Yep, this is a photo of me, 16 weeks pregnant. The baby is due in late March, but I'm counting on early April. I would post an ultrasound image, but I haven't had an ultrasound since week 8, and at the time, the baby was an 11mm butter bean with a beating heart. I'll have another ultrasound soon, so I'm sure I'll be sharing that--and the baby's gender. Weeee. 

I'm starting to feel better, so hopefully the blogging will get back to being a more regular thing. 

The photography business will be a little different next year. This probably deserves it's own post, but I'll go ahead and share. I'll continue to shoot portrait sessions--engagements, bridals, families, and babies, but I am not shooting weddings in 2012. It's a tough decision now, because I'm not holding a baby yet, but I know it is the right decision for our family. You are still welcome to contact me about wedding photographers though. I have a couple great photographers that I've been recommending, and I'm happy to pass their info along.

Stay tuned for some blog updates from recent portrait sessions and baby news too.

i heart ___.

1. Ben's new tag from Make Your Dog Smile by Hattie Rex

Yall remember those cute garden and farm tees I shared a few weeks ago? That artist, Beryl Lynn, hosted an etsy giveaway on her blog a few weeks ago, and I won the prize from Hattie Rex. I got a credit to the Make Your Dog Smile etsy store, so I picked out this cute copper and nickel star tag and had it personalized with Ben's name and our phone numbers. I deleted the phone numbers from the photo--Jonathan doesn't need a picture of his phone number roaming around the world wide web.

In normal little boy style, Ben was more excited about the box. He stole the box off the kitchen table and ran around the house with it--that's what he does when he gets hold of something he knows he's not supposed to have. I retrieved it, and put it up until Jonathan got home and could see the whole package. After Jonathan had a chance to see it and made a plan to attach it to Ben's collar the next morning, he put it all on a table in our den. Ben stared at it and danced--he can be very poodle-y sometimes. So we gave him the box, much to his satisfaction.

2. carrots from my garden.

This was my first carrot growing experience. If my parents ever grew carrots, it was before I can remember. I started them with my spring garden, and probably would have needed to harvest them a lot earlier, but since my garden is getting over watered this summer, the spring fruits and veggies are still thriving. I planted a variety, hoping for lots of purple carrots, but I ended up with mostly white and yellow. It turns out, the white and yellow aren't my fave. I much prefer the orange and purple ones, so that's what I'll try next time.

3. the cooking with my kid website. 

This website is full of healthy, fun recipes and photos. There are several recipes I use regularly, a few I've tried out, and sometimes the website is just good for cooking inspiration. I was thinking today, I cook and bake almost everything from scratch, and it's recipes like these that make it so doable!! 

If you have kids, you can check out how they can help you out in the kitchen. If that isn't something you're used to doing, I can imagine you're thinking about how they'd slow you down, or make a mess; but it will be worth it for them to learn. My siblings and I helped my mom bake (sweets) and watched her cook when we were growing up. She taught us how to read recipes and measure ingredients. I don't know that I ever prepared an entire meal until I got married, but I knew how! My cousins are great cooks too, and I credit it to us being in the kitchen--occasionally--with our moms and grandmothers. 

Here are some of my favorites:

pumpkin mini muffins

banana nut mini muffins (i make lots of muffins--i have other recipes too)

tzatziki

mediterranean 7 layer dip

pumpkin pie granola

and here are a few I want to try soon:

cucumber limeade

whole wheat olive oil muffins

zucchini tart with whole wheat olive oil crust